Mop head and swab



April 16, 1935. H, H. HALsl-:Y i i 1,998,278

MOP HEAD AND SWAB fFiled Feb. 15, 1934 /N VENTo/e:

` HH, Haz/.sex

A TTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 16, 1935 oNl'rsosrrss PATENT ori-ics 3 Claims.

The present inventionrelates to mop construction and the primary object in View is to devise a novel type ofv mop head which may easily be assembled with relation to the mopswab and as conveniently detached therefrom.

yFor this purpose I provide an expansible type of `mop head structure, made for the most part of Wire material in'the form of a frame which may be readily inserted and removed fro-m a pocket provided in the swab.

It is also sought to provide a mop swab of a novel and eicient form for use with the improved head construction. 1n this connection an important object is to devise a mop frame and swab assembly which may be freely manipulated when in use into practically all positions into which a hand mop could be operated, and with a minimum of danger of marring the furniture or woodwork. f

With the foregoing general objects in View, the invention will now .be described by reference tothe accompanying drawing illustrating one form of construction which I have devised for embodying the proposed improvements, after which those features and combinations deemed to be novel and patent-able will be particularly set forth and claimed.

In the drawing- Figure l is a plan view illustrating a mop head constructed in accordance with the present invention, a portion of the swab being represented in section, and dotted lines showing the different contracted positions of the frame member of the head;

yFigure 2 is a fragmentary side View of the device, with the swab removed;

Figure 3 is a section taken on the line 3 3V of Figure 1 (with the swab removed);

Figure 4 `is a transverse section indicated by the` line 4 4 of Figure 3, but showing the mop head fully expanded;

Figure 5is a plan view of the swabmember (on a smaller scale); and

Figure v6 is a transverse section represented by the section line 6-6 of Figure 5.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, the main portion of the improved mop head is constructed of spring wire material of suitable gage and strength and bent into the form best illustrated in Figure 1, to provide a frame having a forward portion I0 of half-oval design and a pair of rear end portions II and I2 formed of the terminal portions of the wire and comprising the wider portion of the frame. These terminal portions of the wire are inturned and extended for- (oi. is-i-le) wardly in spaced and slightly converging relation to approximately the middle portion of the in terior of the frame where the wire is looped to form eyes Ill, I4', for the ends of a pin I5 to which the handle I6 of the mop is connected; said wire terminals are suitably bent laterally outward and their ends turned for securely spot- Welding the same to the outer portions of the frame as indicated at Il.

One end of the pin slidingly as well as pivotally engages the loop I 4, but .is suitably headed, at its end I8, to prevent complete disengagement; while the other end of the pin is headed at i9 as well as shouldered at .2U for retaining a pair of friction washers 2i in binding frictional engagement with the opposite sides of the loop I4 and thus restricting the pivotal movement of the handle about the axis of said pin I5 and at the same time preventing any endwise sliding movement of said pin within the loop I4. Thus the rear end portion IIfof the frame is maintained fixed against any inward movement of said end portion I I toward the handle I6, for the latter is likewise xed relative to the pin by means of a clip member 2t removably attached by a bolt 25 to opposite sides of the endof the handle, and the shank 241 of the clip extending in alinement with the lower side of the handle and formed with a loop 2G which is spot-welded to the middle portion of the pin I5.

This construction and contour design of the frame are such as to accurately balance the same with reference to the axis of the pin I 5, and preferably the loop 2li is secured tothe pin I5 at such point as to be substantially midway between v the loops I4 and lli', while the mop is still in a slightly contracted condition after spreading against the outer margins of the mop swab pocket 3G, as represented by the full lines in Figure l.

The improved form of mop swab is more particularly illustrated in Figures 5 and 6, and comprises a pocket 3l) of canvas or other suitable fabric material and of a form suitable for snugly enclosing the heady frame above described, and of a size adapted (as said material shrinks after first' use) to maintain said frame in a slightly contracted state, as just referred to above. The pocket 30 is provided with a top opening 3l just large enough to permit (with some slight distortion or puckering of the sides of the opening) the endwise insertion of the frame, the pocket being formed by folding a piece of canvas containing said opening in such a way as to leave a retaining lip 32 across the rear margin of the opening and the raw outer edges of the pocket being turned Cv r in and fastened by the same stitching 33 which secures the mop yarn material 34 to the underside of the pocket.

It is to be explained that the size of this opening 3l is designed to be just large enough to permit (with the slight distortion referred to) the insertion and removal of the mop head, so that in the use of the mop the top or the pocket cornpletely covers the head frame and its connections, including the pivot pin, loops M-il and lower portion of the shank MQ-in fact all but a portion of the wire running from said loops to the rear ends ll-IZ; thus the metal portions of the frame are eifectively shielded so as to guard against any scratching or otherwise marring of the walls, woodwork or furniture when the mop is in use.

The mop head and swab are assembled by grasping the lower end of the handle and adjacent end portion I2 of the frame to contract its rear portion suiciently (as illustrated by the dotted lines in Figure l) to enter the opening 3! as the frame is slid endwise therethrough., until the rounded forward end is seatedin the forward end of the pocket 3E; the operator then swings the handle and frame to hoolr the end portion II into the corresponding rear corner oi the pocket (with such assistance of the operators other hand as may be necessary) and then re- Vleases the other end portion l2 to allow it to become hooked into the other corner of the pocket. This results in the frame becoming seated under a slight tension, represented by thc full lines in Figure l, and in thisr inserted position the lip 32 forms a retaining means for holding the rear corners of the pockets in proper retaining engagement with the rear end portions of the mop head frame in the use of the appliance. For removing the swab, as for cleaning or replacing the same, the parts are grasped inthe same manner for first contracting the frame and Withdrawing the end I2 from that corner of the pocket toward the opening 3i, and then moving the frame and swab relatively for withdrawing the end II from its corner and simultaneously moving the end I2 out through the opening 3 I, which brings the end Il also in position for moving it over and past the lip 32 and thus permitting complete withdrawal of the mop head from the pocket.

The above operations of assembling or applying and removing the wab may of course be varied in certain respects to suit the operators convenience, and in any case the operation is facilitated by the fact that the handle maintains any given position relative to the mop head by virtue of the balanced construction relative to the axis of the pin I3 and the frictional connection of said pin with the loop I 4 which construction furthermore helps to support the handle (where this is relatively light) in any given position while the mop head and swab are resting on the floor. The offset relation of the shank 2G of the clip 24 facilitates the use of the mop with. the handle in maximum lowered position as indicated in Figure 3, whereby the swab may be manipulated around and under furniture, into corners and so forth, with the same facility as though a hand mop were being used. The attaching bolt 25 also provides a simple means permitting detachment of the parts for exchange or renewal of one or the other of the same, as required.

It will therefore be apparent that I have devised a practical and eiicient construction for carrying out the desired objects of my invention, and that the same is extremely simple and easy and economical to manufacture, as Well as most convenient for the user, both in the operation of the appliance and removal or exchange of the parts, when necessary; and while I have illustrated and described what I now regard as the preferred mode of practicing the invention and of the embodiment of the various parts of the improvement in practical form, I desire to be understood as reserving the right to maire whatever changes or modifications may fairly fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim to be new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A mop head construction comprising a resiliently expansible and normally expanded wire frame, an elongated handle member provided with a transversely extending pin rigidly secured thereto and having pivotal connections with the opposite sides of said frame, and means frictionally opposing pivotal movement at'one of said connections, the other of said connections providing sliding engagement between said pin and the corresponding side or" the frame for permitting movement thereof toward and from the opposite side of the frame.

2. A mop head construction comprising a resiliently expansible and normally expanded wire frame, a pin having pivotal connections with the opposite sides of said frame, friction means opposing pivotal movement at one of said connections and also preventing any sliding movement of the pin relatively thereto, the other of said connections providing sliding engagement between said pin and the corresponding side of the frame for permitting movement thereof toward and from the opposite side of the frame, and an 'elongated handle rigidly secured to said pin and attached at .substantially right angles thereto nearer to said connection having said friction means than to said other pivotal connection.

3. A mop head construction comprising a resiliently expansible and normally expanded wire frame terminating in a pair of spaced loops at approximately the interior middle portion of the frame, a transversely extending pin having its opposite ends pivotally connected with said loops, friction means opposing pivotal movement at one of said connections and also preventing any sliding movement of the pin relatively thereto, the other of said connections providing sliding engagement between said pin and the corresponding side of the frame for permitting movement thereof toward and from the opposite side of the frame, and an elongated handle secured to said pin and rigidly attached at substantially right angles thereto nearer to said connection having said friction means than to said other pivotal connection.

HOWARD H. HALSEY. 

